Dr. Fluker’s research focuses on the theory and practice of ethical leadership. He is the author of multiple books including, Ethical Leadership: The Quest of Character, Civility and Community and editor of The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman, 5 volumes.
Dr. Fluker’s work is internationally recognized; he travels globally as a speaker, consultant, and workshop leader advising organizations on ethical leadership practices.
He has worked with organizations as diverse as:
Dr. Fluker’s research focuses on the theory and practice of ethical leadership. He is the author of multiple books including, Ethical Leadership: The Quest of Character, Civility and Community and editor of The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman, 5 volumes.
Dr. Fluker’s work is internationally recognized; he travels globally as a speaker, consultant, and workshop leader advising organizations on ethical leadership practices.
He has worked with organizations as diverse as:
Walter Earl Fluker
Democratic Leadership Council National Conversation
The United States Army
The Department of Education
Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Program
The United States Army Chaplain’s Corps
The Boys and Girls Clubs of America
The Department of State
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
The Georgia State Superintendents’ Association
The Catholic Relief Services
curriculum Vitae
& Bio Profile
Walter Earl Fluker is Distinguished Professor at the Howard Thurman Center and Martin
Luther King Jr. Professor Emeritus of Ethical Leadership at Boston University. A
nationally and internationally recognized scholar, speaker, and mentor, his work
explores ethical leadership, democratic space, spirituality, and social justice through
historical, theological, and cultural lenses.
Fluker previously served as Dean’s Professor of Spirituality, Ethics, and Leadership at
the Candler School of Theology and as founding director of the Leadership
Center—later renamed the Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership—at Morehouse
College. He has also served as faculty, visiting professor, and lecturer at numerous
academic institutions, including Vanderbilt University, Harvard University and Harvard
Divinity School, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, the University of London, the Graduate Business School at University of Cape Town, and the Salzburg Global
Seminar.
A leading scholar of Howard Thurman and Martin Luther King Jr., Fluker is the longtime editor and steward of the Howard Thurman Papers Project, which has produced eleven volumes of Thurman’s writings, essays, and critical commentaries. His scholarship and public leadership have shaped conversations on democracy, ethics, race, religion, and global citizenship for more than four decades.
His honors include the Freedom of Worship Award from the Roosevelt Institute and the
Beautiful Are the Feet Award, awarded in February 2026 by the Samuel DeWitt Proctor
Conference and shared with his beloved companion, Dr. Sharon Watson Fluker.
He is the author and editor of numerous books, articles, and essays, including Wake Up Running: Building Democratic Space at The Crossings, scheduled for release in Fall
2026.
Democratic Leadership Council National Conversation
The United States Army
The Department of Education
The Boys and Girls Clubs of America
The Georgia State Superintendents’ Association
The Georgia State Superintendents’ Association
Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Program
The United States Army Chaplain’s Corps
The Department of State
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
The Catholic Relief Services
Dr. Fluker's International Experiences Includes:
INternational Experiences
Serving as consultant to youth development initiatives in Sierra Leone, West Africa and South Africa sponsored by the Ford Foundation
Lecturer for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Havana, Cuba
Served as faculty for emerging global leadership at the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria and the Global Friends Initiative in Hong Kong
Emerging African leaders in the Johannesburg, South African City Council
Lecturer for the U.S. Embassy Speaker/Specialist Program in South Africa, Nigeria, India and China
Distinguished Lecturer to the International Human Rights Exchange Programme
Visiting lecturer for the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Worked with the African Presidential Center at Boston University and the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race (Birbeck College, University of London and the University of Pretoria, South Africa)
Serving as consultant to youth development initiatives in Sierra Leone, West Africa and South Africa sponsored by the Ford Foundation
Lecturer for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Havana, Cuba
Served as faculty for emerging global leadership at the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria and the Global Friends Initiative in Hong Kong
Emerging African leaders in the Johannesburg, South African City Council
Lecturer for the U.S. Embassy Speaker/Specialist Program in South Africa, Nigeria, India and China
Distinguished Lecturer to the International Human Rights Exchange Programme
Visiting lecturer for the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Worked with the African Presidential Center at Boston University and the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race (Birbeck College, University of London and the University of Pretoria, South Africa)
